Measures to accelerate the implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) in health facilities nationwide were sought during a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 17.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son speaks at the event 

The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). 

Addressing the seminar, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said in 2017, the MoH approved a project on information technology (IT) application in health clinics in communes and wards nationwide in the 2018-2020 period.

It tasked the Electronic Health Administration to build a digital system to electronically keep medical information, which is projected to be launched nationwide later this year, he noted. 

Representative of the administration said the software’s trial operation was successfully carried out in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Nghe An provinces this April. To date, 31 centrally-run cities and provinces across the country have launched the system. 

To better implement the EMR in health facilities, the MoH was advised to launch EMR system at national level and provide guidance on data usage for management. 

From 2024 to 2028, all health care facilities across the country will have to replace paper medical records with electronic ones.